


Liquid Confidence

by isultoktok



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Ryan is just irresponsible, Shane is irresponsible but he is trying, Shyan Secret Santa 2019, Shyan Secret Santa 2k19, Shyan Writing Events, Underage Drinking, high school/college au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21953086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isultoktok/pseuds/isultoktok
Summary: A boy meets another boy at a party.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 8
Kudos: 64
Collections: Shyan Secret Santa 2019





	Liquid Confidence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cleopatraslibrary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleopatraslibrary/gifts).

It’s almost the end of Ryan’s senior year in high school when he gets drunk for the first time. He doesn’t know whose house or whose party it is exactly, but it doesn’t matter. It’s Andrew who got them there, him, Steven and Ryan, so he must know, and it must be okay, because Steven trusts Andrew and Ryan trusts Steven. Ryan guesses most of the people there must be in college already, because everyone looks just a little bit older and a little bit more like they know what they are doing.

They stand in the living room doorway, taking in the crowd of people and the too-loud music and Ryan is sure that everyone can see right through him, that he doesn’t belong here, that they all are too young to be at a party like this. His eyes scan the people and stop to a boy, or should he say a _man, _on the other side of the room, dressed in a dark denim jacket. The guy is super tall. Ryan had no idea college students were this tall. Or this… _good-looking_. Ryan thinks how he can’t wait to be in college himself.

Suddenly the guy looks up, sees Ryan staring, and winks at him_. _Ryan quickly averts his gaze, praying to whatever god might be listening that he didn’t just blush. He’s thankful for the cup Steven thrusts into his hand, not even checking what’s in it before taking a sip. It tastes awful, and Ryan wants to spit it out immediately. _Act cool. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of the big kids, _he tells himself, and manages to swallow the bitter liquid.

They find a spot in the kitchen, chatting with Keith, whom Steven knows from somewhere and who is one of the nicest people Ryan has ever met, despite being a few years their senior. Or others talk, Ryan just stands there, gingerly sipping his drink and trying to get used to the taste of beer. It’s not that bad anymore, but he still doesn’t quite understand how people can just chug it down. He feels small and awkward and so out of place.

Suddenly there is a hand, warm and large, on his shoulder, and Ryan startles, almost spilling his drink. His eyes trail along a long arm, all the way to a dark denim-clad shoulder. The hand belongs to the guy from living room.

“Hey there,” the guy says. He is smiling, and this time Ryan is sure he’s blushing.

Ryan is at loss for words. _What do you say to cute, older and ridiculously tall guys who _wink _at you out of the blue?_

The guy chuckles and lets go of Ryan. _Thank God. _

_“_So Keith, I didn’t know we ran a nursery in the kitchen,” the guy says jokingly.

“Shut up, Shane,” Keith says. 

Keith introduces his friend to them. The guy, Shane, takes in the trio of youngsters and then turns to Keith, smirking.

“What do you say, should we show these kids how to do shots?”

Ryan’s cup is taken away from him and replaced with a small glass, filled with something clear. Ryan eyes the glass warily, and Shane notices.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to drink it,” he says. Ryan shakes his head, determined. He is Acting Cool tonight. And if that means drinking something that looks like water but smells like windscreen washer fluid, if Steven and Andrew are doing it, then he’s doing it too.

“Here, take this.” Shane hands him his own beer bottle. “It will wash away the aftertaste.”

Ryan has no idea what that means, what to expect, but he takes the bottle from Shane.

“One, two, _three_.”

Everyone downs their shots. Andrew doesn’t even flinch, Steven makes a gagging noise, Keith and Shane both grimace and shake their heads. Ryan feels like he’s drinking poison. The liquor burns his throat and tastes worse than any medicine he has ever taken. He slams the shot glass down to the kitchen counter and takes a large swig from Shane’s beer, trying to get rid of the taste. College must be horrible if people are willingly doing _this_ in their free time.

“You okay?” Shane asks, peering down at Ryan’s flushed face. Ryan only manages a nod.

“Alright, let’s do another!” Steven shouts, excited, already recovered from the first one. Ryan groans.

“We’re taking a nosedive here very quickly,” Shane says and laughs.

The second time is not so bad, now that Ryan knows what’s coming. The beer quickly washes down the burn, and all that's left is a warm, tingling feeling that spreads through his whole body.

Ryan feels warm. He’s not sure if it’s because of the alcohol or Shane who's standing next to him, so close that their arms are touching. Shane is warm and smells good and he must not mind Ryan standing so close to him, because Ryan can feel a tentative hand slowly sliding up behind him, settling on Ryan’s back to hold him steady. The others are not paying attention to their closeness, caught up in a conversation.

The alcohol makes Ryan braver, gives him the confidence to chip in every now and then. He even makes the other guys laugh. More importantly, he makes Shane laugh, and Shane makes him laugh even more. The older boy seems to be pleased with Ryan’s reaction, smiling down at him whenever he giggles at something Shane says.

The others are still chatting, about what, Ryan is not sure. He’s not following the conversation anymore, just concentrating on the warmth and being pressed against Shane’s side. Being so close to the older boy, touching him and smelling his cologne makes his head spin. Suddenly the whole world spins a little faster, and he closes his eyes, leaning a little heavier against Shane. He’s not sure he likes this kind of feeling anymore.

“Hey kid, you alright?” Shane asks, rubbing Ryan’s back with his hand.

“Ryan? Are you okay? You’re pale like a ghost,” Steven says, his voice a little worried. Ryan opens his eyes, staring at the floor. His vision is swaying, making the kitchen tiles dance.

“I… I don’t feel so good,” he manages to get out.

“Uh-oh,” Shane mutters under his breath, pulling away from Ryan. “Bathroom, now. Keith, can you get me a bottle of water?” he says, grabbing Ryan’s hand and leading him out of the kitchen. Ryan goes willingly, trying to force the wave of nausea down.

Once in the bathroom, Ryan sinks down on the floor, leaning over the toilet. The world is still spinning and he feels sick, heaving a couple of times but not throwing up. Luckily, because Shane is still in the room with him.

Shane closes the door and kneels next to him. “Are you okay?” he asks quietly .

“What’s happening?” Ryan mutters, pulling away from the toilet and leaning his back against the bath tub.

“You’re drunk. Maybe we shouldn’t have given you those shots,” Shane says, handing him the water bottle. “Here, drink this. You’re going to feel even worse tomorrow morning.”

Someone opens the door and seeing the two of them inside, quickly closes it again. Shane groans.

“Oh god, this looks so bad. I get a kid drunk and then disappear to the bathroom with him. I’m never going to live this down,” he says, covering his face with the palm of his hand. Then he lowers it and looks at Ryan.

“So, how old are you exactly?”

“I’m– I’m eighteen in November,” Ryan says, not really wanting to say ‘seventeen’ out loud.

Shane lets out a little ‘hmm’ sound. “So you’re in high school.”

“I’m graduating like, any day now.”

“But as of right now, you are still in high school.”

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Ryan says, a little embarrassed.

“Sorry, sorry! I was just thinking how badly I am fucking up tonight, seeing as I already gave vodka shots to a high school kid.”

“I’m sorry,” Ryan says, because he can’t think of anything else to say. Shane just shakes his head.

“Seventeen... Nice one, Madej,” Shane mutters to himself and pinches the bridge of his nose.

Ryan feels guilty. Not only has he blown the whole Act Cool thing, he is also wasting Shane’s night by being a weakling who cannot hold his liquor.

“I’m sorry, you can go back. I’ll be fine. You can send Steven in here,” Ryan says, leaning his head against the edge of the tub again.

Shane makes the ‘hmm’ sound again. “Do you want me to go get Steven?”

Ryan lifts his head to look at Shane. Shane is looking at him with his head tilted slightly to the side. “I would rather stay here with you, if that’s okay,” he adds.

“O-okay,” Ryan says, and his heart is suddenly beating faster.

It’s only now that Ryan realizes Shane must have had quite a few drinks himself. His cheeks are dusted with just a hint of pink and his eyes are dark, holding Ryan’s gaze. Ryan feels a mix of nervous and excited bubbling inside of him.

They fall silent for a moment. Shane glances at the closed bathroom door over his shoulder.

“You sure you don’t feel like throwing up?” he asks, turning back to Ryan. Ryan nods.

“Good,” Shane says, and then he leans closer, gently tilts Ryan’s chin upwards with his finger and kisses him. Ryan’s heart goes into overdrive.

The kiss is nice. It tastes like beer and Shane has a stubble that’s scratching Ryan’s chin, but it’s Ryan’s first time kissing a college boy, and it feels so nice. Ryan doesn’t even realize that he’s closed his eyes, until he opens them again to see Shane pulling away.

“I’m sorry! I swear I’m not that type of guy, I didn’t bring you here just to take advantage of a drunk teenager. I just… you’re cute and you have nice laugh and I... I wanted to kiss you already in the kitchen,” Shane says, and this time it’s his turn to look embarrassed.

Ryan’s brain takes a moment to try and catch up what's happening. _They are in a bathroom at a college party. And he was just kissed by a tall, cute, college guy._

"Can you… can we do that again?” is all Ryan manages to say, feeling shy.

Shane laughs, and then he’s tugging Ryan closer and Ryan thinks again how he can’t wait for college.

The second kiss is even nicer, and a little messier. Ryan doesn’t know what to do with his hands, so he places them both on Shane’s chest, gripping his shirt when Shane’s tongue swipes against his lips and the kiss turns into _something else _Ryan has never done before.

By the time they pull apart again, Ryan is breathing hard. His world is spinning again, but this time it’s all because of Shane. Shane takes a couple of deep breaths, trying to collect himself.

“We need stop this right now, because I’m still not That Guy and you are still seventeen,” he whispers against Ryan’s lips, and Ryan lets out a breathless little laugh. He doesn’t necessarily want to stop, but it has been a night of many firsts and he’s not sure how many more he should experience intoxicated on the bathroom floor at someone else’s party.

With one last peck to Ryan’s lips, Shane pulls away. There is a knock on the door before it opens, and Steven pops his head in.

“Ryan? Are you alright? Do you want me to call my dad to come get us?” he asks, and Ryan panics, suddenly feeling a lot more sober.

“Nonono, my parents will kill me if they find out, I said we are going ghost hunting!”

Shane snorts at that.

“It’s okay, I can take him home,” he says to Steven. Steven narrows his eyes, only now taking in their flushed state and how close they are sitting. Shane quickly corrects himself.

“No, that’s not what I meant! I- my brother has a car, he can pick us up,” he says hastily. “All of us.”

“Fine,” Steven says, shooting Ryan a look that says _you better spills the beans later._

Shane’s brother is even taller than Shane. He shoots a questioning glance at Shane when he sees the three extra, clearly younger passengers he’s about to have. Shane just shrugs. His brother shakes his head and tells them to hop in and buckle up. Steven and Andrew get in the car, but Shane pulls Ryan aside, holding up his phone.

“Can I text you sometime?” he asks quietly. “Maybe when you’re eighteen?”

Ryan snorts at that. “I don’t mind if you do a little sooner than that,” he says, feeling giddy and excited as he types his number into Shane’s phone. _College is going to be awesome._

Shane’s brother drops them off at Steven’s house. As Ryan gets out of the car and shuts the door, Shane rolls down his window.

“Hey, Ryan.”

He turns back to look at Shane. Shane winks at him.

Ryan laughs as the car pulls away.

**Author's Note:**

> So kids. Don’t mix drinks.
> 
> This is a gift for @cleopatraslibrary in the Shyan Secret Santa 2019 exchange. I’m sorry that it has nothing to do with Christmas, my original idea totally abandoned me. I hope you like it anyway!
> 
> Also, where I come from people graduate from high school at the age of 18-19 so everything I know about the US school system is from 80’s teen movies.


End file.
